This US drone startup thinks it can take on DJI where others have failed

Here we go again. Today, Feb. 13, a robotics startup called Skydio announced it will begin selling a new drone called the R1, which it says delivers “on the promise of the self-flying camera.” It’ll attempt to take on Chinese consumer-drone powerhouse DJI, which has pretty much cornered the high-end market. Those who have come before it, including 3D Robotics, founded by former Wired editor-in-chief Chris Anderson, and GoPro, have not fared well. Both companies ended up exiting the market after not being able to keep up with DJI’s pace of innovation. Another startup, Lily Robotics, claimed to have built a selfie drone that you could toss up and start filming within seconds. It failed to even ship a product before folding.